Your friends
say a lot about you as a person. If you surround yourself with dishonest, unkind people, then their traits will eventually rub off on you somewhat. While no one is perfect, you shouldn't spent lots of time with negative people who will only bring you down. Instead, choose friends that you admire. If your friends have solid character traits like intelligence, loyalty, kindness and dedication, you'll see that they have a positive effect on your life. It's perfectly fine for you to take your time in the beginning stages of a relationship in order to really choose your friends wisely.
Instructions
1. Learn from your past friendships. If you've had some bad experiences with friends, assess those relationships and determine what went wrong in them. Pinpoint a few traits about those friends that weren't positive. If you spot several of those traits in an acquaintance, he is likely not a good choice for a friend.
2. Socialize at solid places rather than bars and nightclubs. Join a local class or group that matches your interests, such as a book club or a biking group. If you are religious, many churches host social events regularly.
3. Go slowly. When you meet someone, it's all right to hold back initially until you gauge if the person is the type of friend you'd like to have. Don't share too many personal details about yourself until you have determined that the person is trustworthy.
4. Observe how the person treats others. Notice how she acts toward service people such as janitors, waiters and valet attendants. A truly nice person will treat everyone with respect.
5. Inquire about the person's family. Even if someone is not close with his family, you can learn a lot about him by the way he talks about them. If he comes across as bitter or mean, it's a signal that he may have issues in relationships.
6. Be honest. As you grow closer with someone, it's important to set an honest foundation for the friendship. If your new friend seems dishonest at any point or if you catch her in a lie, it may be best to scale back on the friendship.
7. Respect your own time. If you feel like a new friend is displaying poor character traits, it's perfectly acceptable for you to decide against furthering the friendship. Don't feel guilty. Your time is valuable so only invest it in those that are worthy of it.
